Abstract:
The main objective of the COST Action 354 “Performance Indicators for Road Pavements” was
the definition of uniform European performance indicators for road pavements taking the needs
of road users and road operators into account. A quantitative assessment of performance
indicators provides guidance regarding present and future needs in road pavement design and
maintenance at both the national and the European levels.
Performance indicators are defined for different types of pavement structures and road
categories. In a first step several single performance indicators describing the characteristic of
the road pavement condition are assessed. The next step is the grouping of these single
performance indicators or indices into representative combined performance indices as
• Functional performance indices (demands made on road pavements by road users);
• Structural performance indices (structural demands to be met by the road pavement);
• Environmental performance indices (demands made on road pavements from an
environmental perspective).
Finally, based on the combined performance indices a global (general) performance index is
defined for describing the overall condition of the road pavements, which can be used for
general optimization procedures.
Recommendations for the application of the indices developed are given taking into account the
various random conditions given at the users. A spreadsheet toll was developed as well, which
supports the decisions made by the road administrations.
This final report summarises the results of the action. It also contains also a CD-ROM with all
the detailed reports of the working groups and the other deliverables.
